Metro East residents cry foul over changes in trash hauling changes

SHILOH, Il (KMOV.com) – Some Metro East residents say they were rail-roaded into accepting only one option for trash hauling, and they feel the mayor had no interest in listening to them.

When News 4 tracked down Shiloh Mayor James Vernier, he didn’t back down or apologize about the change to trash pickup; a change that dropped the competition and choice of three companies and went exclusively with one.

Residents say they never saw it coming and lost the company they like for trash pick up to a company the mayor and the trustees picked this week. But Vernier says this information has been readily available.

“The residents think this was jammed downed their throats,” he said. “I know some of them do, but as I told them this has been published for a couple years now.”

The Mayor also said Shiloh had fallen behind other towns in the area by still allowing three companies to compete for business. But one of the competing businesses was based in Shiloh.

Now a national company, Republic, is getting the business for all of Shiloh’s 12,000 residents.

The mayor says it will be cheaper, but the fine print says otherwise.

“If you need another can it’s $4,” said resident Brad Kohring. “If you want yard waste pick up it’s $6 and by the time we got done adding up everything we’re right back where we were.”

While some residents are calling to put the issue to a vote, Vernier says there are more important issues to worry about.

“First of all to put it up for a vote would cost a significant amount of money and number two we’re talking about trash, we’re talking about trash, not major issues.”